Editor-in-Chief: Alaa Abd-Elsayed, MD

Abstract
- 2026;1;17-20 Radiofrequency Ablation for the Treatment of Pain Related to Bertolotti’s Syndrome: A Case Report
Case Report
Shemar Crawford, MD, Shaunak Mishra, BS, and Theodore Cohen, MD.
BACKGROUND: Bertolotti’s syndrome is a congenital spinal disorder marked by back pain due to a lumbosacral transitional vertebra, often presenting with sacroiliac joint, groin, and hip pain. This condition results from the articulation of the lumbar 5 vertebra transverse processes with the sacrum, causing both radicular and pseudoradicular pain.
CASE REPORT: This is a case report of a patient with bilateral axial low back pain related to bilateral Bertolotti joints who received sustained pain relief after a radiofrequency ablation (RFA) targeting the bilateral L4 medial branch, L5 dorsal ramus, and S1 lateral branch.
CONCLUSIONS: Our case report demonstrates the complete resolution of chronic low back pain in a patient with bilateral Bertolotti’s syndrome after an RFA targeting the L4 medial branch, L5 dorsal ramus, and S1 lateral branch.
KEYWORDS: Bertolotti Joint, Bertolotti Syndrome, RFA, Radiofrequency Ablation





